~~ Scum ... You're Busted! Black and Decker's Scum Buster S600 ~~

Cons:Battery life

The Bottom Line: The Black & Decker ScumBuster is an excellent cleaning tool that effectively cleans and scrubs without much user effort.

I love Black and Deckers ScumBuster!

I first learned of this device when one of my co-workers brought the tool in to use to scrub the treatment mats in therapy. Wow was I amazed by the results! So when we had some funds to use at the clinic, I immediately put in my request for a ScumBuster.

The Product
Black & Decker ScumBuster Cordless Power Scrubber S600 retails for $39.99. It is available at stores such as Target, Linen N Things, and Amazon.com.

Important: ScumBuster Cordless Scrubbers have been designed for easy, powerful cleaning. If you are uncertain about its use on a surface, test an attachment on a small inconspicuous area before cleaning larger areas.

Cleaning and Storage: For best performance, empty and thoroughly rinse the delivery system before storing. Do this by filling reservoir with water and empting as normal 1 or 2 times. Thoroughly clean the brushes and/or scrub pads after each use.

My Experience
The ScumBuster is a wonderful device that saves hands and wrists from the tedious work of scrubbing.

The tool is light blue in color and is fairly lightweight. Of course, it is heavier than just using a sponge due to all of its components (batteries, cleaning fluid reservoir, attachment, the body of the tool). The shape of the tool looks like an oversized "U" with one leg of the U begin the handle, one being the reservoir, and the attachment heads attach to the side by the reservoir. There are two speeds for the attachments to spin: 1 and 2. I usually use the "2" speed, which is faster. The charger can be plugged into the end of the handle; there is a cover to the hole to protect the charging hole when the device is in use. The "carry kit box" that Black and Decker touts is the same box that the scrubber comes in, so be careful when opening the package because if you bust or cut through the plastic, you've just destroyed your carrying case! At the clinic, we leave most of the attachments in the carrying case and the ScumBuster and the one attachment that we use most often gets stored away in the cleaning cabinet.

When the ScumBuster first arrived, I immediately plugged the buster into the socket using the adapter for charging. The buster requires at least 16 hours of charging the first time to completely charge the battery. I am not sure exactly how many hours it needs to fully charge the battery after its first charge. I did call the number provided on the instructions to inquire how long the batteries will last. Apparently the ScumBuster has about half an hour's worth of running time once it is fully charged. I originally thought the half hour of running time was too little, but have found that the battery life is much longer than my daily limit of cleaning.

My favorite accessory/attachment for the ScumBuster is the 3 inch Bristle Brush because the bristles dig deep to lift tough dirt and grime from surfaces. I use this mostly on the exercise mats, which have textured surfaces that are perfect for dirt to lodge in. Despite traditional cleaning the mats with disinfectant and wiping them down with a cloth, the mats still looked filthy because of the embedded dirt. When I used the ScumBuster on a small patch of the exercise mat, the liquid cleaner started to turn a disgusting gray color and the mat color was becoming much lighter and cleaner. Once I wiped away the dirty liquid, I was amazed by the cleanliness of that particular section of the mat. Using the ScumBuster was easy on my hands and arm because I did not have to do much other than move the ScumBuster to the next dirty section. I did find that using the flexible attachment head with the Bristle Brush made it easier to clean corners and grooves as the brush can pivot as needed.

I have not used the sponge pads or carpet cleaner attachment at the clinic because there have not been opportunities for use of those attachments. I predict that the sponge pad attachments would work wonders on soap scum in the shower.

The ScumBuster saves my hands from doing the dirty work. I find that the ScumBuster is easy to hold in my hands and that it isn't too heavy for me to hold during my cleaning sprees. The ScumBuster cleans and scrubs much faster than I could ever do manually.

I also like that the ScumBuster allows me to use whatever spray liquid cleaner (not gel!) that I choose; I use the general spray cleaner that the clinic orders and find that it works well with the ScumBuster. It's great that Black & Decker allows the user to choose whatever cleaner to use with the ScumBuster.

How could this magical ScumBuster tool be improved? The main focus is the battery. The battery life could be extended. Even though I don't often use the tool for half an hour straight, there are sometimes that I do and find it a bit annoying when the battery dies. There is a distinct slowing sound of the rotating brush attachment when the battery life nears depletion; the brush stops spinning once the battery is completely depleted. What would be nice to see is a "battery life" indicator to let users know how much battery life is left. Interestingly, once the battery is depleted, the tool is not operational until it is recharged. The ScumBuster cannot be used while it is plugged into the charger.

Overall Thoughts
The Black & Decker ScumBuster is an excellent cleaning tool that effectively cleans and scrubs without much user effort. It is well-worth the price of $40.